Big Wheel Race

We don't typically do much special for St. Patrick's Day other than making corned beef and drinking Guinness.  However, a local brewery sponsors a Big Wheel race down a giant hill that ends at their establishment.  Adults are challenged to get a Big Wheel and configure it any way they like so that they can then race down the hill at incredibly fast speeds.  It was so beautiful out that we made our way down to watch the race and it ended up being a blast.  Malcolm loved it and wanted it to go on even longer.  On the way home, he was planning what his Big Wheel would be like when he is old enough to race one.  He is also toying with the idea of working with Kevin on designing one, then having "Uncle Jeremy" (family friend) race it for him next year.

They broke up the competitors into 7 groups, then did a final race with all of the winners.

In the wagon and headed for the race.  One of the people working asked Kevin if he wanted to race down the hill in the wagon, but he declined.

We had some time to walk around and check out the bikes.

This one was Dorothy's favorite.  I think she liked the pinwheels.

Some folks rode a Big Wheel that wasn't changed much or at all.  Others really went all out on customizing it.

No one needed to pedal.  They just held the legs up and zoomed down the hill.

Some had themes, like this E.T. one.

There was a bagpiper who played each time there was a race.

Safety first.  We were surprised to see that some of the people didn't have helmets, but the girl with no shoes was the one that really made us cringe.

This guy was really nice and offered to let Malcolm sit on his bike before the race, but Malcolm declined.

This guy had his feet on the pedals and I think it was helping to keep him from going too fast.

This one was John Deere themed.  The side braces broke off, so he tucked them under his arms like ski poles.

This bike is sagging a little, but not as much as a couple of others.  Those didn't make it to the bottom of the hill.

I couldn't capture just how fast these guys were flying, but it was impressive.  We had one guy wipe out right in front of us and Dorothy got really worried.  He was fine.  Several of the Big Wheels did not make it to the finish line, and more than one person ran across, carrying their bike.